Danger Zone
by richojen
Summary: Grissom's at a seminar in California, leaving Sara and Catherine to work an emergency shift. However, neither of them are prepared for what lies ahead...
1. Chapter 1

**_Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own CSI or any of the characters. _**

The high-pitched ringing of the phone roused Sara from her deep sleep. Stifling a yawn and pushing her messy hair out of her eyes, she picked up the recieve and held it to her ear.

"Hello?" Her voice was quiet, barely audible.

"Sara? It's Catherine. Grissom needs us to work a case, and he chickened out of calling you. Meet me in the lab in half an hour?"

"Sure..." Sara still wasn't fully awake. The line went dead, so she replaced the phone in the holder and sat up, bracing herself against the night chill as she pushed the duvet away.

She pulled on a pair of frayed jeans and a black top and, after slight consideration, a black jacket. She slipped into her shoes as she dragged a comb through her tangled hair. She groaned when she caught sight of herself in the mirror. Grabbing a hair band, she hastily threw her hair up into a messy ponytail, and headed for the door, picking her keys up on the way out.

The street was silent, except for the icy breeze rustling the leaves on the trees. Pulling her jacket closer around her, Sara unlocked her car and slipped inside. Warm air control. She still had 20 minutes before she had to be at the lab. Besides, it probably wouldn't be safe for her to drive whilst she was shivering so much.

After about five minutes, Sara revved up the engine. The headlights immediately reflected off the white garage, a blindingly bright light piercing the darkness. After taking a few seconds to adjust, she pulled out of the driveway and drove off in the direction of the lab.

* * *

><p>"Where's Gil?" It was the first thing Sara noticed as she walked into the room.<p>

"Seminar in California. Ecklie rang him and he rang me." Catherine glanced at Sara, who was sipping decaff from a paper cup. "I'm not sure we have time for coffee..."

"Catherine, it's three o'clock in the morning. I'm tired. I need the coffee!" Sara retorted, feeling slightly jealous. Catherine looked wide-awake, and she'd actually done her hair and make-up.

"Okay, chill, I'll drive then." Catherine answered, glancing at Sara as she passed.

"I'm already chilled." Sara muttered under her breath, but just loud enough for Catherine to hear her.

Catherine took her own coat out of her locker and handed it to her colleague, who was still shivering slightly, before heading out of the door, leaving Sara to stare after her.

"Um.. Catherine? You really don't need to.." Sara started, almost running after Catherine in a futile attempt to keep up, and also trying not to spill her coffee.

"You're shivering, Sidle. Now get in the car." Catherine retorted. Sara obeyed. Catherine was in about as good a mood as she was. Clearly it would be a bad idea to cross her.

* * *

><p>"Hello?" Catherine's voice echoed in the hallway of the house. It was a typical, deserted house that automatically brought murder and torture to mind. Pushing the door slightly further open, she stepped into the gloom, and almost onto the scene-officer. Onto.<p>

His body lay limp on the floor, and there was blood staining his regulation shirt. There was a tear in it, almost certainly made by a bullet. His face was pale, colourless. And there was an expression in the glazed eyes that Catherine could unmistakenly read as pure fear. Judging by the location and time the scene was called in, he couldn't have been dead long.

"Sara..." Catherine addressed the younger CSI behind her without turning around. "Get out. Slowly. Call for backup." Catherine had her gun out, scanning the scene for any kind of movement.

Sara backed out of the hallway, turning and almost running to the car, and the radio. "

"CSI Sidle, we have another dead body, scene-officer. We need back-up."

"On their way." The voice crackled at the other end of the line.

Sara debated whether to go back into the house. She didn't want to leave Catherine on her own... But she was scared. Sure, she'd risked her life in the line of duty before; tried to wrestle a suspect to the ground when the scene hadn't been cleared properly, acted as live bait for a serial killer, but this seemed different. It was a more deserted location, away from anywhere on the map. Noone would hear them if they screamed...

Suddenly, Sara heard something that made her blood run cold.

A bang, as if a gun had been shot, and a high-pitched, feminine scream.

Catherine.

_**First CSI fic, I will continue it :) Please review, I'm a lot more likely to update quickly if I have reviews ;)**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Once again, I don't own CSI or any of the characters :)**_

"This is CSI Sidle, we need an ambulance as quickly as possible." she gasped before dropping the radio and running back across the gravel in the direction of the house.

She didn't even think twice. She knew Catherine needed help, and it could be too late by the time an ambulance arrived. She hoped and prayed that her first aid training would pay off.

The door was closed over, locked into position by something, or some_one_, on the other side. Sara cursed under her breath.

"Sara?"

The response was quiet, almost inaudible, as if Catherine was trying to preserve every last bit of energy. Sara's heart leapt and fell at the same time. Catherine was talking, that was a good thing. But she sounded so...weak.

"Cath? I need you to move, or move whatever it is thats blocking the door out of the way." Sara tried to keep her voice calm and even.

Slowly but surely, there was a shift in weight. Sara cautiously pushed the door open. Catherine was slouched against the wall, hands closed over her stomach, blood tricking onto the stained floor. She looked desperately at Sara, her eyes hoping for help, reassurance, anything that would get her through.

"It's gonna be okay, the ambulance is on it's way." Sara whispered soothingly, taking the elder CSI's hand. "You'll be okay."

* * *

><p>"Greg Sanders." The voice was quiet, muffled and not quite awake.<p>

"Greggo, it's Nick. We need you to come in."

"But I'm not even on call!" Greg whined almost childishly.

"Listen, man, Catherine's been hurt. We had the message from Detective Korpen about half an hour ago."

Greg was suddenly wide awake.

"She's in some really remote location with Sara. They don't know how bad it is and Warrick could really do with the support right now..." Nick trailed off.

"I'm coming." Greg answered, before cutting Nick off and clambering out of bed. He didn't even bother to change, just headed in the direction of his front door, knocking absent-mindedly into the hall-stand as he reached for his keys.

* * *

><p>"Greggo, you're in your underwear, man."<p>

Greg looked down sheepishly, realizing that he was in his boxers and an oversized 'King of Rock' t-shirt.

Nick, taking pity on the lab technician, took him by the elbow and led him to the locker room. He could understand why Greg was so desperate to arrive. The rock 'n' roll lab tech had had a crush on Sara ever since he first met her.

Sitting Greg down on the central bench, Nick turned to his locker. He always kept spare clothes in there. They might be a bit big for Greg, but they were still clothes.

Pulling out a frayed pair of jeans and red sports socks, he handed them to Greg and walked towards the door, stopping only when he realized that Greg wasn't moving.

"I understand that you're worried and all, but I'm not gonna dress you..." Nick joked lamely.

"What? Oh.." Greg stared at the clothes in his hand. "Nick?" He called as the CSI turned to leave. "Does Grissom know?"

* * *

><p>Catherine was becoming less responsive by the second. She was drifting in and out of consciousness, murmuring incoherently to herself. The blood flow was slowing, and that was bad. It meant that she was bleeding out pretty fast.<p>

Sara shrugged off the coat. That wouldn't have been much use; it was furry. But she took off her jacket and pressed it to the wound, applying what she hoped was enough pressure, but not too much either.

Inwardly, she was praying. It wasn't something she'd done since she was a child, when she'd prayed so hard for her father's death. But it was the only thing she could think of.

She couldn't say anything. How could she expect Catherine to stay positive if she wasn't even positive herself?

"Sara?" Catherine's voice was quiet, distant.

"I'm here. Cath."

"Take care..." She trailed off. "Take care of Lindsey for me, yeah?"

"I won't need to, you're gonna make it!" Sara said, almost desperate. She wasn't sure who she was trying to convince.

"Please Sara..." The voice was even quieter, strained.

"I will, Cath. But I won't need to, you're gonna be fine. The ambulance will be here in a minute..." She stopped, tears running down her face, reaching for Catherine's hand in the gloom.

"Sara... Thankyou..." Catherine's voice faded away, her eyelids fluttered gently for a few seconds as if she was trying to stay awake before finally dropping closed.

The rythmic sound of her breathing was replaced by Sara's sobs as she took her last breath.

**_I'm gutted now because I really didn't intend to kill anyone off! But it kinda just happened... Please review, y'know you want to ;) Suggestions for events in future chapters very welcome :)_**


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